Rescue or Recovery
by Ginger S
Summary: One of the crew from the A-shift of Station 51 is missing in a forest fire while putting in some overtime at Station 110.


Rescue or Recovery

By GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. **_

_**No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

Late summer and early fall in California brought the onslaught of many brush fires. These small brush fires often turned into huge forest fires that consumed homes and businesses. The firemen of the counties surrounding the areas affected were called in to support the stations nearest the fire. No stranger to long stretches of time away from their homes and families to battle these destructive fires the firemen of Los Angeles County Fire Department were always ready to man the lines.

The crew of LA County's Station 51 A-shift was not on duty at the time this particular fire broke out; most of the members of the crew were watching the devastation played out on the news at their homes wondering if the phone would ring. One of their friends had been subbing at Station 110 and along with the rest of that engine crew had been called up to the front lines.

It was a blistering hot day in California and dry. Well dry was really an understatement. The foliage was parched and almost burnt by the blistering rays of the summer sun. A fire had broken out from a small camp site fire not being extinguished properly. The blaze had spread rapidly and now threatened to engulf a small community of farmers at the base of the wooded park area where the fire had started. The winds were not letting up and the fire moved rapidly across the dried growth. The crew from station 110 was assigned the task of working along side men from many other stations that were digging the fire break to try to stop the progress of the beast. They had been at it for over 8 hours when they were finally given a break. "Engine 110 return to camp," the dispatcher called them in for a much needed rest and to find some food. On the way back to camp the engine was cut off by the shifting fire. The men were forced to flee the engine on foot and hope they could outrun the flames through the trees. They had not been heard from since their last transmission.

"Dispatch Engine 110. We've been cut off. We are currently on fire road 12. We will be on foot heading down the mountain away from the approaching flames. I repeat we will be on foot. Need assistance. Request a fire drop at our location."

Nothing had been heard from the group sense that last frantic transmission.

The telephones began ringing calling in off duty firemen to assist with the rescue and recovery effort to find the missing men. The volunteers were to report to department headquarters for transport to the scene. Arriving at headquarters Mike Stoker and Hank Stanley made their way over to Chief McKonikee to get their assignment. After a few minutes Roy Desoto and Marco Lopez joined the other members of Station 51's A-shift. "Cap?" Roy asked his superior. "Any word?"

"No Roy, nothing," Captain Stanley shook his head in response.

"When do we leave?" Marco asked. His face showed a mixture of determination and fear for his missing friend.

"We are waiting on a few other men from B-shift. C-shift will remain on duty at the station as long as needed," Stanley explained.

The group turned to face the man who had just joined them. He was pale; his eyes showed dark circles underneath, he was too thin and truthfully looked like he could barely stay on his feet. Added to his appearance was the harsh cough that he emitted as he approached. "What are you doing here?" Roy asked his friend. "You have not been cleared for duty. You aren't scheduled to get checked out by Dr. Brackett for three more days."

"Relax Desoto," Chief McKonikee said. "I spoke with Brackett already. I knew he would be here. I agree that he may not be in any condition to fight fires right now, but the truth of the matter is he has spent a great deal of time hiking and camping in the area where Engine 110 was last known to be. Brackett has reluctantly agreed to let him help as a guide. He has temporarily been released for duty; however, you are to return to the injury list upon our return until Dr. Brackett is assured of your ability to return to duty."

"Yes sir," Johnny Gage sighed. "Mike did you bring my gear?"

"Yeah Johnny your turnouts are in the car with the others. Roy I brought the travel first aide kits and extra handy talkies as well. The squads already up there will have the other supplies you might need," Mike Stoker ran down the list of things he and Captain Stanley had picked up at their trip by the station.

"Well men we will load up in 15 minutes. Meanwhile if you want something to eat or drink this may be your last opportunity for a while. Thank you for your willingness to join in this effort to find our missing men." Chief McKonikee said as he walked away.

"Gage, I want you to take it easy out there. No heroics you hear me? I want you back on duty at the station as soon as possible, so be careful and let Roy know if you need to rest. Okay?" Captain Stanley looked at his youngest crew man noticing that he looked very unsteady on his feet.

"Yes sir," Johnny looked directly into his captain's eyes to let him know that he understood that he was very lucky that they had let him come at all. When Johnny had heard about Chet Kelly being one of the missing men he had called his Captain to tell him that he was going to help look for him with or without permission. He could either assist the Fire Department's efforts, or he would go up there as a civilian, but he was going. However, when Hank Stanley had answered his phone and found Johnny to be on the other end he had already spoken to Dr. Brackett. Hank knew that Johnny was familiar with the area and would not be held back from looking for Chet. He also knew that though they had a very strange relationship often bickering or playing tricks on one another Chet and Johnny were in fact very good friends who cared deeply for each other. In fact Hank Stanley knew that his crew actually was more like family than co workers. John Gage would have come for any of the guys he worked with. They were all he had. His parents had died many years ago and he had no siblings. Hank also knew that Johnny would help anyone in need.

"Come on Johnny let's get you some juice," Roy grabbed his partner by the arm and led him over to the canteen truck that was set up to provide food and drinks to the men before they set out for a very long and hard day. Roy brought Johnny some orange juice and Tylenol. He took them and smiled at Roy.

"Thanks Roy. I'm really worried about Chet."

"I know Johnny we all are. They haven't been heard from since they set out on foot. The chances…" Roy didn't finish the thought. They all wanted their friend to be found alive and well, but the odds were not in his favor. "Let's help Mike and Marco with the gear. I know Marco is really upset. He and Chet are best friends."

"Yeah," Johnny did not say much. His throat was still very sore, and truth be told he didn't feel well at all. His head ached, his joints were sore, and he hadn't been able to keep much food down because his antibiotics were making him sick to his stomach, but none of these things would keep him from helping find Chet and the others.

"Okay fellows we will be on van 2. Your turnouts and gear can be loaded in the back until we get to base camp. Let's go," Captain Stanley directed his men. "Mike did you get the canteens filled?"

"Yes sir they're filled and ready to go."

"Good man."

The five men loaded into the van to make the hour drive to base camp. Johnny slumped down in the seat next to the window and rested his head against the cool glass. He closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. The others thought he was sleeping except Roy who knew that he was probably mapping out in his head the area where the group had gone missing. He also knew that Johnny needed quiet time to get his thoughts together to be able to guide the response team through the trails. Looking over at his friend Roy saw him open his weary eyes from time to time to get a feel for where they were. Captain Stanley and Mike sat on either side of Marco whispering encouragement to him. Marco could be heard lifting up prayers for his friend. They were a solemn group. Not knowing if Chet were even still alive.

Arriving at base camp the group quickly donned their turnouts, canteens, and first aide kits. They were assigned to search along with the members of Station 51's B-shift. They were thankful to be working with men they already knew. While getting their instructions they were told that the operation would be treated as a recovery mission. It was believed that the entire engine crew had perished in the fire, however, this group of firemen were determined that this could still be a rescue mission. They were not ready to give up on the missing fire fighters. They were dropped off near the site where Engine 110 was thought to be when they had to abandon it. After a short hike the group came upon the burnt out shell of Engine 110. "My God," Captain Stanley voiced what everyone was thinking. "There is nothing left of her. Even the hoses are burned. No wonder they had to set out on foot."

Johnny paced around the engine looking for some clue as to which way the men had set out. He stooped down and picked up something beside the fire road. "They went this way," he said out loud not to anyone in particular. "They were running."

No one questioned Johnny's ability to determine the direction that their friends had taken. He was well known in the department for his tracking ability.

"They didn't take anything with them, except their personal fire tents. The canteens are still here."The group of firefighters looked at the engine where Johnny pointed and could see the remains of the canteens still in their place on the engine. "We need to fan out and make our way down this way." The group did as Johnny suggested. They walked down the burnt mountainside. It seemed that they had been walking for hours when they came upon something in the woods.

In a small clearing the men found the bodies of five men. They had been laid reverently by someone leaving the rescuers to believe that somehow miraculously someone…one man…had survived, but who and where was he. Roy and Johnny went over to the burnt bodies to see if they could tell who they were. The men were burnt beyond recognition, but their badges would still be pinned to their shirts. The men were covered by their burnt turnout coats. The man on the end farthest away from the approaching group was covered with a coat that had the name Kelly stenciled on the back. It was at that moment that Johnny was overcome by a dizzy spell and became very nauseous. He stepped over beside a tree, fell to his knees and threw up the juice he had drunk earlier. After a few minutes he joined Roy to help him identify the bodies. Going to the one who was covered by Chet's coat Johnny carefully lifted it and looked at the body beneath. "He's not here Cap. Chet. Chet's not here," Johnny yelled. "Chet's not here! I don't know why he left his coat, but it's not him."

The men from Station 51 were saddened by the horrific loss of the engine crew who lay before them, but they couldn't help but be glad that one of their own Station's men might still be alive and well.

"John, can you tell which way he might have gone?" Mike asked.

"I uh…give me a minute." Johnny stumbled around the area barely staying on his feet. Roy went over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Johnny you need to sit down a minute. Drink some water, before you fall down."

"We have to find him Roy. He could be seriously hurt."

"I know Junior, but if you collapse we may not be able to find him. You are the one who knows this area. You have to rest. We all need to take a few minutes here. This is very hard on all of us."

"Okay Roy." Johnny sat down right where he was. He cradled his head in his hands. Truthfully his head was killing him. "Just give me a minute. Then we can go find Chet."

Mike walked over to Marco, "You okay buddy?"

"He…he could be alive Mike," Marco looked back at the engineer with hope in his eyes. "He could still be alive."

"Yeah Marco at least we know he was here alive and took care of giving these men some last bit of dignity by moving them here together and covering them. At least we know that he was mobile. We'll find him. I just know we will." The normally quiet engineer tried to offer encouragement to his friend, but in his heart he knew that they may still find that Chet had not survived.

The men were all tired and weary. They had been walking for miles only to find five of their firefighting brothers had perished in the fire. The emotional strain the men now carried weighed heavy on their hearts.

"Dispatch….HT 51, we have found five crewmen from Engine 110. Be advised they did not survive. Repeat we have 5 Code F. We are still searching for the sixth man. The five men were members of Station 110. The sixth man is Chet Kelly of 51's." Captain Stanley looked over at the group before him. "Request five stokes and transport." He told dispatch of their location and the direction that they would be proceeding in the search for Chet.

The members of Station 51's B-shift drifted to the other side of the clearing and seemed to be in a deep discussion about something. Captain Stanley looked over at his men. He couldn't help but remember how Chet fit in to the group. He was the Phantom. He played tricks on his pigeon otherwise known as John Gage. He was best friends with Marco and teased Mike mercilessly about how quiet he is. He used Roy as a straight man when he was picking on Johnny. However, the thing about Chester B. Kelly that Hank Stanley thought of the most was what a skilled fireman Chet Kelly was. No one could handle a hose the way Chet could. Johnny and Roy might be the best paramedic team in the county, Mike the best engineer, but Chet and Marco made the best engine team he had seen. They could work together without speaking and know what to do next like Roy and Johnny. Captain Hank Stanley knew that he led the best team of firemen in the county, maybe even the state, or the country.

The men settled down in various spots for a break. Each of the A-shift crew seemed to be in deep thought. Marco sat on a burnt stump remembering some of the double dates that he and Chet had been on in the last year. There were the twins that they had met while at a disco. The four of them had gone out to dinner and a movie. The women were tall and had thick dark hair and deep brown eyes. Then there were the cousins that they had taken to the fair. Mike looked over at Marco and saw the man laughing quietly to himself. "Marco?" he asked his friend. "What's so funny?"

"Just thinking about the crazy dates Chet and I have been on with the twins and those cousins. Man we had some good times this year." Marco saddened at the thought that he may have lost his best friend. "He has to be all right Mike, he just has to. We have so much more fun to have, so many more double dates to go on."

"I know Marco." Mike agreed. He was soon deep in thoughts of his own memories of Chet Kelly. The man had come over to Mike's place to help him refinish the hardwood floors in his family room. They had worked hard into the night and drank a lot of beer. Before they knew it they had over sanded in one spot causing Mike to have to replace several boards. Chet had shown up the next day with the replacement boards. He had never asked to be repaid. Mike smiled at the memory.

Meanwhile Roy sat near Johnny thinking about the trips that he, Johnny, and Chet had gone on together. The time they went fishing and camping and had come up on that car accident with the woman and her son. That was when they had met Dr. Frick and his nurse. What was her name? Oh yeah Nurse Peterson. She made great homemade cookies. Chet was upset because she didn't remember him. It was after they returned from that trip that Johnny was bitten by a rattlesnake and Chet had been there to help him treat himself. Roy looked over at Johnny and saw that he still sat with his head in his hands. "Johnny are you all right?"

"Yeah Roy I was just thinkin' 'bout Chester B. You know we came camping here last spring. Actually we set up camp right here in this clearing. Kinda funny that we are here right now. I wonder….." Johnny stopped in mid sentence.

After a few minutes John Gage got to his feet and slowly walked towards what could have once been a trail. He did not speak or look away from his destination. Captain Stanley went up beside him and grabbed hold of his arm to steady him. "John you okay?"

"I…I think…I think I know where he is. We…um…Chet and me camped here. We set up camp right here. He knew where he was. He…Cap he probably led them here. He remembered. I…I know where to look. It…It's about two miles from here. We…we need to move, to get there before dark."

The other men in the search party joined Captain Stanley and Johnny without question. Together the group started their long hike into the woods. Roy came up beside his best friend. Johnny led the group half walking and half stumbling down the burnt out trail. From time to time Roy reached a steadying hand to his friend's elbow to keep him on his feet. Johnny was exhausted, but he would not give up until they found Chet.

After a time the search party came upon a stream. Beside the stream they found a bloodied blue shirt. "Cap there, over there." Marco pointed to the shirt. "That's Chet's shirt. Look here is his badge." Marco removed the badge and nametag putting them in his turnout coat pocket.

"Okay John, now we know he was here. This blood could be his or from moving the other men. It looks like he may have ripped off a piece of the shirt to make a bandage or something. Where do you think he went?" Captain Stanley asked.

"This way Cap," John said as he followed the stream.

The group went along the side of the stream for a while. Then Johnny turned into the woods again. After a short distance the group came to a stop. Before them was a piece of blue fabric tied to a burnt bush. Johnny walked over to the bush smiling. He pushed behind the bushes and ducked into what was once a hidden cave. "Chet!" he called into the darkness. "Chester B!"

There was no response, but Johnny kept going deeper into the cave. The group dug in their turnouts and pulled out flashlights. Shinning the beams into the darkness they scanned the floor of the cave. In the back of the cave leaning against the wall the lights all settled on Chet Kelly. He was not moving. He was filthy, covered in soot, dried blood, and dirt. Johnny and Roy ran over to their fallen comrade. Dropping beside him Roy reached for a wrist to take a pulse at the same time Johnny placed a hand on his abdomen to count respirations. Chet stirred and tried to pull away. "Wha…? Leave me alone."

"It's okay Chet. We've got ya now." Roy talked to his friend in a soothing voice. "Where are you hurt?"

"No…don't want ta burn…gotta get out of here. Gotta get to that cave. We have to get wet. There's a stream. Come on guys. Trust me….ahhhhh."

"Chet listen to Roy we're here. You're safe man," Captain Stanley tried to calm the man.

Johnny hadn't said anything. Roy looked over at his partner and saw the relief and unshed tears in his eyes. Johnny met Roy's gaze and the two began assessing Chet's body for injuries, feeling down his legs and arms. "His right ankle is either badly sprained or fractured," Roy pointed out. "He has burns to both hands and his face and neck. He has taken in a lot of smoke. I can hear rales in both lungs and wheezing. BP is 100 over 80, pulse 75. He is definitely in shock. He has a deep laceration on his lower right arm."

Johnny wrote the vitals and injuries in his little black notebook preparing to transmit them to Rampart as soon as they could get a signal. They might have to set up a relay through dispatch to the hospital. Johnny could not find his voice and suddenly he was overcome by a strangling cough. "Wow Gage could ya hold it down?" Chet whispered to his friend. At the sound of the complaint from Chet about Johnny making too much noise Mike and Marco burst out laughing.

"He's gonna be okay," Mike whispered to Marco.

Johnny caught his breath and responded to his friend in a hoarse raspy voice, "Can it Kelly, I just hiked through a burnt out forest to come after you. I don't need you gettin' all smart with me."

"Okay guys we need to get him outta here," Captain Stanley clapped his hands together to let his men know it was time to move. "Mike, Marco we need to make a stretcher to carry him out. It's getting dark fast and I don't want to wait on a stokes to be brought in. See if you can find some long branches. We will use a blanket from Roy's pack to stretch between them. That should do it." Mike and Marco ran off to find the branches. The men from B-shift went to help them look. "John give me your pad, and I'll step out of the cave and relay the information to the hospital. I'll be right back with their instructions. You two can…well you know what to do."

"Yes sir," Johnny coughed his answer.

A short time later the group with an unconscious Chet loaded on a make shift stretcher set out to make the trek the rest of the way back to base camp. Once there a helicopter transport would take Chet, Johnny and Roy in to Rampart. Walking back into base camp the group was met by Chief McKonikee, "Good job men. I wish we had brought out all six, but I am glad to at least have found Kelly. Copter 10 is standing by to transport. Gage you are to go along in the chopper. Dr. Brackett will be expecting you." Roy and Johnny continued on to the chopper with Mike and Marco carrying the stretcher. "Captain Stanley you will accompany the rest of your Station's men back to headquarters. You are all released from duty. C-shift will cover you tomorrow. Hank please let me know how Kelly is. Oh and Gage too. He looks and sounds terrible."

"Yes sir," Hank replied.

After getting Chet secured in the chopper Johnny sat back and rested his head against the cool glass window of the chopper. He was instantly asleep. A mixture of exhaustion, fever, and emotion had taken it's toll on the already weakened man. Roy looked over at his best friend. He had already transmitted a new set of vitals on Chet and now he reached across to take his partner's wrist and get his pulse. Not wanting to disturb his sleeping friend he also reached up to feel the heat coming from Johnny's forehead. "Well Junior you are running a pretty high fever again. I hope this whole ordeal has not set back your recovery, but I know we would never have found Chet if you had not been there."

"Huh? What? Roy?" Johnny asked as he stirred beneath his friend's touch. "Chet?"

"He's okay Johnny. We will be at Rampart in a few minutes. Just relax. You're exhausted."

"Okay." Johnny's head lulled to the side and he drifted back to sleep.

Chopper 10 landed at Rampart to the waiting emergency staff. Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early, and Nurse Dixie McCall together with four orderlies and two gurneys awaited the arrival of their friends. Chet was transferred to the first gurney and a sleeping John Gage was placed on the other. Johnny only stirred a little and then began coughing harshly. Dixie patted her friend on the shoulder. "Relax tiger, we'll get you all fixed up."

Chet was whisked into treatment room 3 with Dr. Joe Early. Johnny was taken into treatment 4 with Dr. Brackett. Roy stood in the hall not sure which direction to go. Deciding that Johnny would want him to keep an eye on Chet he followed Dr. Early into room 3. X-rays, blood tests, and a lot of poking and prodding later; ankle wrapped, arm stitched and burns dressed Chet Kelly was ready to be settled in a room. He was severely dehydrated, weak from blood loss and exposure, but he would recover completely.

Johnny was diagnosed with exhaustion and dehydration. He had aggravated his already stressed lungs, and Brackett had him admitted for observation. He had also developed a fever from all of the stress to his body already weakened from his earlier injury.

Dixie had made sure the two men were put in the same hospital room.

Marco, Mike, Roy and Captain Stanley were in the room with their friends waiting on them to wake up.

"Hey Chet," Marco was first to notice that Chet was awake. "Glad to have you back."

"Thanks Marco. Uh what's wrong with Gage?" Chet looked over at the other bed. "Cap, the other men from 110's they…."

"It's okay Chet we found them. You did good buddy." Captain Stanley patted Chet on the shoulder to assure him.

There was a moan from the other bed. Roy went over to check on Johnny. "Junior?"

"Could you guys hold it down? I'm tryin' ta sleep over here." Johnny winked at Roy as he looked down at him.

"Chet I think Johnny here is trying to sleep. Could you hold down the chatter?" Roy said as he burst into laughter. Everyone in the room joined in releasing the emotions that they had been trying all day to control.

"Oh sure Gage I'm caught in a forest fire, burnt, cut, and barely alive and you want me to hold it down. Well I tell ya buddy I'm so glad to be alive I may not ever stop tellin' about it." Chet ranted.

"Chester B."

Chet Kelly did not slow down in his tirade. "I'm gonna tell ya if you hadn't taken me camping up there last spring I wouldn't of known where that stream was. I rolled in the water and then ran like hell to that cave we slept in the night it rained. I knew it had to be the safest place to hide from the flames, but I gotta tell ya it was hot, really hot. I thought I was gonna burn up that time. I've never been so scared. I tried to get the other guys to follow me, but they panicked. They didn't think that I knew where I was. I tried to get them to come with me, but they just ran down the hill away from the direction of the stream. After…." He became very choked up. "After the fire swept over, I went back to find them. I knew they probably had been burned up, but I still hoped ya know?"

"Chet you are not responsible," Mike told him. "You couldn't make them come with you. You tried. That is all you can do. They made their own decisions. They were scared. They were confused."

"I know Mikey, but I wish. I wish they had believed me. I told them that Johnny had brought me up there and that I knew a safe place. They were all spread out. I had to drag them from all over that hill side to put them back together so you could find them. I still didn't think I was gonna make it. I was cold, tired and hungry. I just went back to the cave. Then I remembered Johnny had told me once to put up a sign to let people know where I was in case they were searching from above. I tied the shirt to the bush. It was all I could do. Then I just waited. It seemed like forever. I kept thinking about you guys. Marco I thought about our dates with the twins and those cousins. Mike remember that floor we screwed up? Roy the fishing trip Johnny made us go on when we didn't catch any fish, but came up on that car accident. Johnny I guess I thought the most about our trip up here last spring. If I hadn't come camping with you that weekend I would probably be dead right now. Cap I hoped you would come and tell me what to do. You always know what to do. I thought I was dreaming when you showed up for real."

"Chet it is a miracle that you survived. When we saw your turnout coat draped over that man we thought that we had lost you. We are saddened at the loss of life up there, but would be lying if we said we were not very glad to find out that it was not you underneath that coat," Roy explained to his friend.

Johnny coughed harshly and cleared his throat. "Chet you are a good fireman and a good friend. We came for you just as you would have come for any of us."

"Yeah," Chet agreed. "If only they had listened."

"Well I think it is just about time for these two to get some much needed rest. I might add that you other four look like a good hot shower would do you all some good. Time to clear out," Dixie McCall said as she walked over to Chet's bed to administer some medication for pain and antibiotics. She took his vitals and made some notes on his chart. Next she went over to Johnny and felt of his head. "Fever seems to be down. How are you feeling?"

"Better Dix, just tired."

"Well guys what are you waiting on a security escort? That means you to Desoto. Scoot," Dixie pushed on Roy's back as she herded the men towards the door.

"Goodnight Johnny, Chet," the four men wished their friends goodbye.

"See ya tomorrow guys," the two patients called back to them.

"Johnny?"

"Yeah."

"Um thanks for taking me camping last spring. I would have died today if you hadn't."

"Chet, don't be silly. You survived because you used your training as a fireman. You found water and shelter. You did not panic. You saved yourself. I just knew where to look. Now if you don't mind I'm exhausted."

"Yeah your right Johnny. Thanks."

Johnny turned away from his friend and smiled. He did not want to take away any of his friend's confidence. He was proud of Chet for making the right decisions and turning what could have been a recovery operation into a rescue. He was glad to have his friend back and truth be told was looking forward to the next prank that Chet would play on him when they both returned to work. It was a sad day for the fire department having lost five good men, but a happy day for Station 51. They had found their missing man.


End file.
